Battle of Hohenlinden

The Battle of Hohenlinden (3 December 1800) was a major battle of the War of the Second Coalition that was fought between the armies of France and the Holy Roman Empire at the town of Hohenlinden in Bavaria, southern Germany.

In 1800, the French general Jean Victor Marie Moreau defeated the Austrians at Stockach, Messkirch, and Hochstadt, and he concluded an armistice with the Austrian general Paul Kray. The Austrian emperor, Francis II, appointed his own brother, Archduke John of Austria as the new commander of the Austrian army, and the Austrians defeated the French in a minor battle at Ampfing. Archduke John, who had a larger army of 60,261 troops, decided to pursue Moreau's 53,795 French troops, but Moreau decided to make a stand at Hohenlinden. The Austrians advanced through the woods in disconnected columns, allowing for Moreau to ambush the columns. The Austrian left flank was surprised by Antoine Richepanse's division, and Moreau managed to encircle and smash the largest Austrian column. The Battle of Hohenlinden, along with the Battle of Marengo in Italy, led to Austria making peace with France in February 1801, ending the war.